A researcher from Sydney University says stories like Julias are very common across gaming venues and gambling centres throughout Australia and is advocating for a new approach to treating problem gamblers.

Dr Fadi Anjoul says a greater emphasis is needed on educating the public on how pokies and gambling games are programmed to work so people are better empowered to resist the perceived lure of easy money.

I think the prevention of problem gambling begins in the school curricular, I dont think we have a sufficient education programs that provide the required information to insulate or protect individuals from going on to develop gambling problems.

Gambling is a psychological problem and its about the individual retaining misinformed ideas about gambling.

Essentially prevention is about having excellent education at the school level and what you will end up doing there is providing information to young adults or children that will hopefully go on to protect them from developing gambling problems in their adult life, he said.

Dr Anjoul says there are often misconceptions within the community of gambling problems being an addiction similar to drug or alcohol addiction.

Its about time we actually start promoting and alternative view of gambling primarily because we dont think the addiction view of gambling is going to lead to better treatments.

The family will often observe that person with a sense of disbelief; they find it quite difficult to understand what it is that motivates an individual to do this again and again and again.

Weve found the individual with a gambling problem rarely knows what is motivating them, Dr Anjoul said.

Understanding what motivates a problem gambler has been a key principle to the new treatment therapy offered by the Gambling Treatment Clinic at Sydney University.

When you ask a person what is the basis for the escalation in gambling the answer is not to sustain the same level of thrill or excitement the answer they typically give is to cover their loses.

Part of what were doing in our new approach to therapy is discovering what it is that actually drives gambling behaviour and presenting that insight to the gambler… in hope that goes some way in alleviating that problem.

There is a fundamental difference between gambling and substance addiction and that is with the later there is usually a repetitive ingestion of some sort of chemical or substance that ultimately may change physiology in the nervous system… it leads us to conclude whatever it is driving gambling is more psychological than biological in nature, he said.

Tale of a gambler

Julia Karpathakis said her gambling problem occurred soon after going through a divorce.

I could go out and feel like I was going out, because I never went anywhere on my own.

I would end up in a pokie venue where there was no one around really that youre going to talk to… so it started like that playing a little bit and before I knew it I was quite hooked, quite quickly.

If you have a win its the worst thing that can happen… I dont know how it happened but I just wanted to be doing that all the time – I just wanted to go to the pokies, she said.

During her ten year battle with the urge to play pokies Julia said staff at the venues never encouraged her to stop playing.

I was never approached to take it easy, it was actually often suggested that my machine hadnt gone off today – implying it was about to, she said.

I lost everything, I lost my self esteem, I lost my self worth, my morals went out the door – pokies became the main focus of my life.

Knowing full well it wasnt good but I couldnt resist going, I couldnt hear myself telling myself – dont go, she said.

Julia said she would have behaved differently if she had the insight and education into the workings of the poker machine industry.

If someone had said to me the rules are rigged in a way to make you feel like youre going to win, theyve done experiments on rats and pigeons to work out how to suck people in and all the trickery behind them… I would never have put a dollar in, she said.

I had a relative who ran a game with the tins at the Royal Show where you have to knock them down, he told me not to waste my time because there are weights are the bottom and you cant knock them down… so I never bothered because I knew I couldnt win, she said.

Julia said the key to success in overcoming her gambling problem was to reach out and begin talking about the issue and has since begun a support network for others.

The key to my success was not hiding it anymore… and attending pokies anonymous.

Everyones experience is a little bit different, however at the end of the day a lot of people dont understand how they became addicted… its not until its explained to them what is actually going on that they start to realise because people will actually believe in luck, she said.

Prospects for policy

Long time anti-pokie campaigner Federal Senator Nick Xenophon is insistent pokie and gambling addiction wont be helped by education but instead needs to be addressed through tighter control of gaming machines and online gambling.

Senator Xenophon wants there to be a reduction in bet limits on poker machine from the current ten dollar limit per spin to one dollar.

If we had one dollar bets that would make a very big difference in terms of problem gambling in this country.

The other issue is of course online gambling, that is where the next title wave of problem gamblers will come from and that is why we urgently need legislation that tackles online advertising, overseas gambling sites and to limit the inducement sports betting agencies are able to offer to people online.

Im very cynical about and sceptical about clubs or hotels banging on about gambling education when the productivity commission as an independent body has expressed its scepticism.

So lets concentrate on making machines much less addictive lets make the machines much less dangerous and that will be better than education, he said.

Senator Xenophon said problem gambling is costing the Australian economy billions of dollars.

When you consider there close to 100,000 Australians who are losing an average of 21,000 dollars a year on poker machines, and there are another 280,000 people at risk of becoming full-blown problem gamblers.

When you consider the productivity commission finding that 40 per cent of gambling loses on poker machines come from problem gambling – thats almost five billion dollars a year from people who are hooked on poker machines – thats a major problem, he said.

———————-

For gambling support visit the gambling helpline website.

Further support links can be found on the problem gambling guide.

New Orleans, LA (PRWEB) May 15, 2012

Summer is around the corner and now is the perfect time to plan a New Orleans family vacation. With world-famous music, food, and culture, New Orleans has something to offer everyone.

After soaking in centuries old architecture, families will marvel at new additions that celebrate the wonders of nature at Audubon Nature Institute attractions.

Visitors to Audubon Aquarium will experience some of the stinkiest, slimiest and downright yuckiest creatures on Earth at Animal Grossology. Fifteen hands-on stations teach lessons such as how the waste of some animals actually helps others survive, ways to avoid diseases such as Lyme or West Nile, and that slime serves many important functions for animals, from facilitating motion to digestion to defense. Oozing with disgusting science and interactive learning games, the all-new Animal Grossology exhibit is at the Aquarium for a limited time and sure to provide a unique perspective on the animal kingdom. Among the many family activities you can do in New Orleans, kids activities at the Audubon Nature Institute attractions are unsurpassed.

After enjoying the boisterous penguins, playful otters and colorful Caribbean Reef tank at the Aquarium, families can walk down Canal Street to Audubon Butterfly Garden and Insectarium. A lively new museum in town, it includes a dazzling butterfly garden showcased in one of the city’s most historic buildings. This serene, Asian-inspired garden flutters with life as butterflies swoop and soar from one flower to another–perhaps even resting for a moment on the shoulder of a visitor. Close encounters with these beautiful creatures provide vivid memories that last a lifetime.

At Audubon Zoo, just a streetcar ride away through the gorgeous Garden District and Uptown, Cool Zoo is a new splash park giving visitors a wet and refreshing way to experience one of the nation’s most beautiful zoos while still beating the New Orleans summer heat. Guests climb a two-story white alligator water slide or skip around dancing fountains. Those preferring to stay dry sit on the sidelines with a cool drink and a snack. A special toddler area keeps the little ones entertained with gentle water play. Once guests have had enough of the splash park, they are invited to explore the rest of this world-class zoo. And then go right back into Cool Zoo if they wish!

Open 7 Days a Week!

All Audubon attractions will be open seven days a week from Memorial Day through Labor Day! Visit the Zoo, Aquarium, IMAX and Butterfly Garden and Insectarium every day from May 28 through September 3, 2012! With all of these wonderful family things to do, New Orleans is sure to make your next vacation unforgettable.

The not-for-profit Audubon Nature Institute in New Orleans operates ten parks and museums dedicated to Celebrating the Wonders of Nature. For more information about Audubon Nature Institute, our New Orleans family attractions and conservation efforts, please visit AudubonInstitute.org or call (504) 581-4629.

For the original version on PRWeb visit: http://www.prweb.com/releases/prwebnew-orleans/family-vacation/prweb9500417.htm

The murals are from a collaboration with the Junior League of North Harris and South Montgomery Counties.

It gives us great pleasure to display such beautiful and uplifting murals in our Pediatric Emergency Department, said Peg Reiter, PhD, RN, vice president and chief nursing officer of SLWH in a press release. We hope that children and families can identify with these amazing characters while seeking care here at St. Lukes. These murals provide a whimsical distraction and a soothing element to our environment as we provide Faithful, Loving Care to our youngest patients.

According to Christi Wetzel, co-chair of the Junior Leagues SLWH committee, Reiter approached them last spring to see if the Junior League would partner with St. Lukes to get a mural for the Pediatric Emergency Department. Reiter chose Eric Carles book Slowly, Slowly, Goes the Sloth and Houston artist Vivian lsquo;Bibbi Anderson, the mother of one of Junior League member Amy LeCrone, offered to be a part of the project. Anderson has donated more than 250 hours to create the murals from Carles artwork.

In addition to the murals, Wetzel said that the Junior League supplied a board book in each treatment room for an Eye Spy effect for patients.

St. Lukes The Woodlands Hospital is located at 17200 St. Lukes Way in The Woodlands, at the southwest corner of SH 242 and I-45. For more information, call 936-266-2000 or visit StLukesWoodlands.com.

by MARC KOVAC | CAPITAL BUREAU CHIEF

Columbus — With less than a week before the first of Ohios new casinos opens its doors, state lawmakers continue to haggle over legislation regulating legalized gambling in the state.

The Ohio Senate passed House Bill 386 on a vote of 29-3 May 9, but the Ohio House rejected changes made by the other chamber, sending the legislation to a conference committee to negotiate an agreeable alternative.

Rep. Lou Blessing, a Republican from Cincinnati and original sponsor of the legislation, said he wanted one or two more weeks to consider changes made by the Senate.

Its a very comprehensive and complex bill at this time that was just finished last week, I think, Blessing said. I think, though, we need some more time to take a look at this because its so complex, its overreaching.

House Bill 386 seeks to update Ohios gaming laws to accommodate four new casinos, charitable gaming and lottery-operated electronic slots at horse tracks.

Among other provisions, it would expand the definition of corrupt activities to include cheating at casino games and would increase penalties against those who attempt to bribe casino operators, managers or commission members.

It also would define the casino control commission as a law enforcement agency, enabled to investigate potential crimes, seize evidence and arrest individuals for gaming offenses.

The bill includes rules to accommodate the relocation of racetracks in Columbus and Toledo to the Youngstown and Dayton areas, respectively.

It restricts the use of the word casino in advertising, sets aside up to 1 percent of video lottery sales commissions to support gambling and related addiction services and requires the withholding of income taxes on VLT winnings of more than $3,000.

Additionally, the bill places a moratorium on the opening of new Internet cafes and requires existing sweepstakes parlors to submit affidavits to the attorney generals office within 30 days of the new laws effective date.

Senators removed from the final bill language related to charity card rooms, which some criticized as opening the door to casino-style gaming in all 88 Ohio counties.

House Speaker Bill Batchelder, a Republican from Medina, said he expects the two chambers to review the bill and work out any differences in short order.

Email Kovac at mkovac@dixcom.com.

yourCardiff reported in March that Papergirl Cardiff would be returning to the city for a second year after launching successfully in 2011.

The project merges art and cycling by appealing for artists of all ages and abilities to contribute original artwork, which are then rolled up and handed out “paperboy/papergirl style” across Cardiff by a team of volunteer cyclists.

Organisers Cycle Training Wales and social design group thinkARK said last year more than 200 artists submitted 300 pieces of art, and 30 cyclists distributed the work on an hour-long bike ride.

But before the volunteers get on their bikes again this year, all the submitted work which must be handed in by May 11 will be displayed for one week at The Printhaus on Llandaff Road in Canton.

The exhibition will be open on May 26 from 1pm-5pm, May 29 and 30 from 2pm-5pm and 7pm-9-m, and May 31 and June 1 from 10am-4pm.

Jon Howes, from the Papergirl Cardiff team, said: Last year we had an amazing response from the people of Cardiff. We want to make this years event even better if we can and we are really looking forward to working with The Printhaus again.

Any type of artwork can be can be sent in for Papergirl Cardiff before a deadline of May 11, including drawings, paintings, posters, photos, prints and textiles – but they must be flexible enough to be rolled up.

Jon added: We want as many artworks as possible, the more the merrier. The diversity and range of pieces is what makes Papergirl so interesting and we’d love people to get involved, whatever their artistic background.”

For details on how and where to submit your art before May 11 visit Papergirl Cardiff’s blog, follow them on Twitter @PapergirlfCDF or join their Facebook page.

HERITAGE bosses today described the scrapping of a major cultural campaign, set to have provided South Tyneside with a huge tourist boost, as a big blow.

Just hours after the Gazette revealed details of a critical report into the World Heritage Site bid by the Wearmouth-Jarrow Partnership, it was dramatically withdrawn.

More than a decade in the planning stages, a successful bid – based around the life and work of famed medieval scholar the Venerable Bede – could have elevated the dual monastic site of St Paul’s Church, Jarrow, and St Peter’s, Monkwearmouth, Sunderland, into a historic attraction to rival Durham Cathedral, the Taj Mahal or the Great Wall of China.

Thousands of people signed a heritage petition in support of the bid and untold hours have gone into the costly campaign, including the prepration of a detailed submission, which was put back in 2009, to improve its chances of success.

But the bid was withdrawn yesterday after the Gazette revealed an influential committee had recommended it be rejected.

The Bishop of Jarrow, the Rt Rev Mark Bryant, chairman of the Wearmouth-Jarrow Partnership, has expressed his “disappointment” at the critical report by the International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS), which evaluates World Heritage nominations.

And Mike Benson, director of Bede’s World museum, Jarrow, described the withdrawal of the bid as “a big blow.”

And he questioned ICOMOS for putting its critical report on a website – before officially informing the Wearmouth-Jarrow Partnership of its findings, following a visit by its officials to Jarrow and Sunderland last September.

Mr Benson said: “It’s extremely disappointing and a big blow to everyone involved. I feel sorry for all the people who have put so much hard work into the bid over the years.

“I’m surprised we weren’t informed about the report by ICOMOS before it was placed on a website.

“But we still see the story of Bede and this site as a world story. And if the people outside our door still believe we are world-class, that is what’s important.”

In a statement, the Bishop of Jarrow said: “Following feedback from ICOMOS, the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS), English Heritage and the Wearmouth-Jarrow Partnership have decided to withdraw the World Heritage Site nomination for Wearmouth-Jarrow from this year’s World Heritage Committee.

“We are very disappointed by the ICOMOS evaluation of the Wearmouth-Jarrow nomination and have a number of concerns about the report which we will be raising with ICOMOS and UNESCO.

“We will examine the report further to identify what the key areas of concern are and consider carefully next steps.

“We feel that Wearmouth-Jarrow has a strong case for World Heritage Site Status and deserves international recognition.

“There has been a huge amount of public support for the bid, locally, nationally and internationally. The organisations which make up the Wearmouth-Jarrow Partnership have worked together extremely well to conserve, promote and improve the twin monastery.

“ICOMOS commented on the quality of the management plan, and recognised the effort and commitment of the partnership in producing it.

“We will continue to work together to ensure this special site is preserved for future generations to enjoy.”

ICOMOS concluded that the monastic ruins at Jarrow and Sunderland were not “peak examples” of such architectural remains across North Europe.

The body also believed the physical aspects of the dual monastic site were “too limited” and also questioned its “integrity and authenticity.”

ICOMOS also raised doubts about the links outlined in the bid submission between the intellectual reputation of the Venerable Bede (673-735AD) and the historic site.

The report concluded: “ICOMOS recommends that the Twin Monastery of Wearmouth-Jarrow, United Kingdom, should not be inscribed on the World Heritage List.”

These findings were due to be considered this summer by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO), before a final decision on the Wearmouth-Jarrow bid during the World Heritage Committee’s annual meeting in St Petersburg, Russia, between June 24 and July 6.

Coun Fay Cunningham, for the Bede ward, which includes the historic Jarrow site, said: “I’m very, very disappointed at this news, because a successful bid could have put Jarrow on the world map.”

Jimmy Guy, verger at St Paul’s Church for the last 12 years, said: “From the point of view of visitors from places such as America, Australia, Mexico, France and Canada, we are already a site of world importance, but it’s true that a successful bid would have helped the site.”

Chaired by the Bishop of Jarrow, the Wearmouth-Jarrow Patnership includes members of the Parishes of Monkwearmouth and Jarrow, Bede’s World, the Diocese of Durham, South Tyneside Council, Sunderland City Council, University of Sunderland, Tyne amp; Wear Archives amp; Museums, English Heritage, National Glass Centre at the University of Sunderland, the Universities of Durham, Newcastle and Northumbria, ICOMOS-UK and the Department for Culture, Media and Sport.

The twin Anglo-Saxon monastery of Wearmouth-Jarrow was created by Benedict Biscop in the seventh century and was home to the Venerable Bede, Europe’s greatest eighth-century scholar.

A spokesman for the DCMS said: “Clearly, everyone involved is disappointed with the recent ICOMOS evaluation.

“There is strong local support for the World Heritage bid and the team there have done some great work, which ICOMOS have acknowledged.

“We will study the report further to look at what still needs to be done, building on the work so far.”

]]> http://www.ipipblog.com/2012/05/sadness-as-bede-world-heritage-site-bid-withdrawn/feed/ 0 http://www.ipipblog.com/2012/05/illinois-gambling-bill-could-be-headed-to-house-floor-gov-quinn-cries/ http://www.ipipblog.com/2012/05/illinois-gambling-bill-could-be-headed-to-house-floor-gov-quinn-cries/#comments Fri, 18 May 2012 21:54:12 +0000 Admin http://www.ipipblog.com/?p=2099